Derry GAA fans returning from Dublin away games through the staunchly unionist village of Newbuildings regularly pray that at least the traffic lights of the town are green.
If they aren't their buses – as well as those of Derry City football fans – are forced to stop and the risk of attack increases dramatically.
Anyone passing through the village of Newbuildings can be in no doubt as to the political allegiance of the majority of its inhabitants.
On the Derry/Tyrone border, the village lies on the main road from Derry to Strabane, Dublin and all points south.
At one time there were more than 70 Catholic families registered in the town. That number has now fallen dramatically but with a Catholic hinterland, there is still a need for a Catholic church and primary school.
At a time when most communities are trying to clean up the graffiti that adorned estates through the troubles, the kerbstones and lamp-posts are still painted red, white and blue.
Away from the main road, Newbuildings is similar to many other small villages in the north west. Its mix of public and private housing is well kept. The village's largest estate proudly carries a plaque noting its success in a tidy estates competition.
While often in the headlines, it seldom makes the news for positive reasons.
Newbuildings is more likely to come to attention for the regular attacks on St Mary's Oratory, the local Catholic church, or Derry GAA and Derry City soccer supporters returning from away games.
Some of the more high profile attacks have included the destruction of statues (on one occasion while a priest stood helplessly by) and the altar at St Mary's.
Mass-goers regularly have their cars damaged while the now deceased Father Joe Coulter (a brother of singer/songwriter Phil) had his home attacked on a number of occasions in Newbuildings. Now the priests serving the Catholic population live at Waterside and makes the five-mile journey daily.
GAA and Derry City fans have been attacked in the village so often that an unofficial code of practice has been drawn up for buses and cars carrying fans back from high profile games in Dublin.
Supporters know that on approaching Newbuildings, they must cover their jerseys, put away all flags, dim the lights in the bus... and drive like the wind.
Those responsible for the attacks aren't just anti-all things Catholic. They are quite willing to turn their attentions to any unionist or Protestant who fails to adhere to their hard-line view.
At the height of the Drumcree crisis in the late 1990s, they dragged a policeman from a car and beat him senseless while his young son watched on. His crime was that he tried to pass through a pro-Drumcree road block.
For all that, most observers agree that the problems are caused by a small hard-line core and that the vast, vast majority of people are decent living.
Parishioners of St Mary's often report messages of support after there has been an attack.
